Hospitality Industry Trends Redefining 2026

And we also have Clinton Anderson, the CEO of Fourth, who will be moderating the conversation with Jason. Jason, how about I let you offer the audience some information about your background and you can also inform them a little bit about Chop Store.

My name is Jason Morgan, CEO of Original Chop Store. We purchased the brand in 2016three unitsand I have actually grown it to 26. After a short stint of trying to be an accounting professional for about a year and a half, I transitioned into casino property and worked in corporate financing.

I was the first employee there after private equity purchased the company. Assisted grow that from 20 to 150 areas, took it public in 2014, and then left about a year and a half after going public to do this at Chop Store. My hope is that we can replicate the success we had at Zos, and we're off to a really excellent start.

We're at the counter, we bring the food to the table. The secret to the program is we have a drink component as well with fresh-squeezed juices and protein shakes.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

A little more complicated than a few of the walk-the-line ideas that are out there, however we think we've got something pretty special. We're going to include another store this year and a minimum of four shops next year. So we will be 31 or so shops by the end of next year.

Hospitality Sector Shifts Shaping 2026

I have actually been in this role for about 6 years. Fourth, as numerous of you know, is a leading service provider of software application options to the restaurant and hospitality market. Our goal is to assist our consumers be successful in driving profitability and being efficientmanaging labor, managing inventory, and essentially supplying them with tools they require to provide their vision.

It's unusual to have companies that are precious and growing rapidly, that can repeat that success year after year. Jason, one of the factors I was so ecstatic to have you join our session is the success at Zos was amazing. I've just fulfilled a handful of brands where there was such a strong consumer affinity for the brand.

When you talk to clients about Chop Shop, they like the location. And to be able to take what is a relatively complicated principle in terms of delivering a great experience for the customer, and be able to grow that from a few stores to now north of 30 shops next yearit's fantastic.

We're going to discuss how to scale a dining establishment service. Every restaurateur I ever speak to has imagine taking one store, 2 stores, five shops, and turning it into something much biggerexpanding throughout the city, throughout the state, into several states, and eventually national, even international reach. It's not simple, specifically in today's environment.

It's not an easy time to drive profitability and development at the very same time. How do you scale it and make it effective? Second, beyond innovation, how do you scale terrific groups?

Strategic Expansion Milestones in 2026

The very first concern I have for you, Jasonlook, you've done this two times now in the dining establishment industry. What has your experience been in terms of what it takes to really drive success in expanding dining establishments?

We talked a little bit before we began about LinkedIn, and I have actually got a post teed approximately follow this next week about what the playbook is likepoint by pointfor growing an organization. To me, one of the crucial things, and I feel really lucky, is that both brands I've been included with are special.

And there's nothing exactly like Chop Shop in terms of what we're doing with a big, varied menu. The majority of brands today are very singularly focused in terms of what they're providing from a food item. I feel like we started at a benefit with both brands by having something special that filled a specific niche nobody else was doing.

A lot of it begins with the brand name. Does your brand name have something special that no one else is doing?

High-ROI Hospitality Ventures Coming in 2026

The 2nd thingI came from a finance background, so a great deal of my knowings are more financing and data-driven versus a great deal of early start-up restaurateurs who are innovative types. They love the food, they constructed the menu, they built the brand name. I probably could not do that from scratch. If you offered me something that has all those elements in location, I can take it from there and put the playbook in location.

They do not know their breakeven sales. They don't understand how margin improves as sales increase. I have actually seen so lots of companies where the numbers simply do not work.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

If you don't have those 2 things, you shouldn't be constructing stores. Yeah, possibly both, right? Because as I hear your description, you have actually highlighted three things: execution, brand distinction, and financial practicality. You have actually got to start with execution. If you don't have an operating model that works, expanding it just multiplies problems.

Essential Tips for Growing Hospitality Footprints

Second, you require an engaging brand name or special principle that resonates with clients. And 3rd, the math needs to work. If you don't comprehend your system economics, your fixed and variable expenses, you may be broadening blind and losing money. Exactly. And another key lesson is about entering new markets.

When we expanded to Dallas, I expected brand-new shops to do 5070% of Phoenix sales in the first year. Too many operators presume new markets will open at full volume day one.